Support for schools to provide bikes and improve cycle parking

Young people across the country are finding it easier to cycle to school thanks to support from their schools, local authorities and Cycling Scotland, the national cycling charity.

Schools and local authorities have been able to provide a range of new facilities, including installing secure, covered bike parking.

Since last year, more than £1.1m, funded by Transport Scotland’s active travel budget has been allocated to 161 schools across the country and 23 local authorities. Almost 60,000 pupils are set to benefit from the new facilities.

From Thurso to the Isle of Skye, Arisaig to Inverness, over 3,500 children and young people across the Highlands are now finding it easier to cycle to school with new cycle facilities that have been provided by Scotland’s national cycling charity.

Using funding from the Scottish Government’s active travel budget, which is managed by Cycling Scotland, Highland Council has provided covered cycle shelters at 14 schools across the region.

Cycle data from the Highlands shows that:

• Over 7% children normally cycle to school, the second highest area in Scotland [1]
• Cycling accounts for 6% of all journeys, the highest in the country [2], with 17% adults usually or regularly cycling to work [3]
• 58% of households have access to one or more bikes, the third highest local authority [4]

Cycling Scotland funded £74,000 to the Highland Council Road Safety Team, which was match-funded by the council to install six shelters at primary schools and four scooter pods. The bike parking means that pupils can safely lock their bikes during school hours, encouraging more young people to travel to by bike.

Emma Garden, Bikeability Scotland Co-ordinator in the Highland Council Road Safety Team said: “Being able to access the fund to match our Safer Routes to School funding has allowed the Highland Council Road Safety Team to provide more schools with a cycle shelter this past year. The shelters are used regularly by pupils cycling to school and taking part in Bikeability Scotland training, giving them safe, accessible storage while in school, and schools are already seeing an increase in the number of pupils cycling to school too, which is hugely positive”.

Lisa, a P7 pupil said: “Now our school has its new bike shelter I am allowed to cycle to school every day, there is somewhere safe to keep my new bike I got for my birthday. I am really excited to be cycling with my friends”.